The UN Security Council on Friday called for an independent investigation into major leaks in the Nord Stream gas pipeline suspected to have been caused by an “act of sabotage”.
US deputy ambassador to the UN Richard Mills told council members efforts to investigate the leaks in the pipeline system, which is located in the Baltic Sea, are under way and reaffirmed Washington's support for European efforts to conduct the probe.
“It could take time, but the search for the truth will not be rushed. It's important that we first establish the facts,” said Mr Mills.
Russia’s UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia emphasised that carrying out sabotage of “such complexity and scale is beyond the power of ordinary terrorists”.
“This is an attack that could hardly have happened without the involvement of state or state-controlled actors,” he said.
“We will certainly identify all those involved in this act.”
During the council meeting, Mr Nebenzia addressed his American counterpart directly, asking if the US could confirm “right now” and “in this chamber” that it was not involved in “this act of sabotage.”
Mr Mills replied: “If there’s any country perhaps that has a record of doing the kind of thing we are discussing here today, it isn’t the United States.”
Both Denmark and Sweden informed the UN Security Council in a letter on Thursday that the Nord Stream pipeline leaks were caused by blasts equal to “several hundred of kilos of explosives”.
Nord Stream 1 was a major route for Russian gas supplies to Europe before Moscow reduced and finally halted the operation after relations with the West soured following the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
Germany cancelled the launch of Nord Stream 2 days before the invasion began.
The ruptures on the Nord Stream pipeline system have led to what is likely to be the biggest single release of climate-damaging methane ever recorded, the UN Environment Programme said.
“This is really bad, most likely the largest emission event ever detected,” Manfredi Caltagirone, acting head of the programme's International Methane Emissions Observatory, told Reuters.
“This is not helpful in a moment when we absolutely need to reduce emissions.”
Researchers have not yet been able to quantify the amount of methane leaking from the pipelines, but believe the rate of emissions is higher than that which occurred during a major leak at an offshore oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico in December, which spilt about 100 metric tonnes of methane per hour, Mr Caltagirone said.
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Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
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Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Catch 74kg
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Strawweight (Female)
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Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.
Lightweight
Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.
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Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.
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UK%20record%20temperature
The five pillars of Islam
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